Delightful Endearing
by Hahnemann
Summary: Many discoveries develop in a blink of an eye, as well as a newly enlightened Goku who under-appreciated by his spouse, has much more to prove than he gives credit. But certain events will lead Goku to use the NerveGear to travel to the Digital World of SAO, now he is going to be facing newer conflicts, both mentally and spiritually.
1. Recollection For A Heavy Heart

**A/N:** I won't be using A/N very often, so if you guys want to read them I'll leave them in my profile if you want check it out. That is where you will stay updated for chapters and future stories and what not. As for the story, enjoy.

 **Chapter One:**

 **Recollection For A Heavy Heart**

Oh God…

I really did it now. For sure she is going to stay mad at me after what I did to her, that means no dinner for sure. Ok, maybe it wasn't really anything that bad, but knowing my wife she is bound to throw a fit even if a feather landed on her head.

Really now, the boy deserves it. I mean sure, his grades aren't that impressive compared to Gohan's back when he was fifteen, but she really needs to cut the boy some slack, he isn't a machine. Not to mention, even at his young age Goten is still smarter than his old man, and believe me nothing makes me prouder than watching him succeed.

Though regretfully, he's the root of the issue. It appears Goten grew a bit too attached to his gadgets, aka video games. And as it turns out, there was a limited new release of some game called… what was it? It was Sword something… well whatever.

The boy wanted to buy the game badly. So as the proud, barely literate parent that I am, had the balls to wear the pants and decided to buy him the game. Even though he already had a serious discussion with his mother, who obviously didn't allow it.

So after not getting what he wanted from his mother, he decided to come to me. Honestly, that little rascal knows the deal. If you can't take the big one, simply go after the smaller one. Not to mention, I'm the one who is going to get his ass handed, by my wife no less.

…Damn, the years sure have passed by.

It's really quite astounding I have been married to Chichi for almost thirty years now, "That's love for you... And the frying pan of doom, too."

Haha- glad my wife wasn't here to hear that. But I guess there is no chance, I'm too far away from home in the woods training, though only as a pretense so I can go hide.

…It's weird. Deep inside of me, I know from the bottom of my heart that I love her. But every time I try to show my affection to her, be in bed or even during the day, she tosses me away and leaves me hanging.

Sure, I guess it's partly my fault that's happening now. I mean, I did neglect her very often to go train, especially after I died and was away for seven long years. The excuse being my presence would only attract more evil. Though that was only partly true, it was something else that held me back at that moment. Something painful to remember…

But where was I? Oh yeah.

On the portion Chichi may be _slightly_ to blame, is on the fact that she pretty much decided to settle down with a man with a child like mind. To top it all off, the reason being an innocent promise we made to each other back in our youth.

Hehe, unfortunately for her, she would end up realizing too late it wasn't going to be the way she expected it. I guess she ended up raising three children all by herself in the end. Kind of feel sorry for her in that sense.

But that's where all the problems for me come in.

Suddenly I realized one day, after many years of gradual maturing. That I wasn't the husband, and probably never was in her eyes. But another child she needed to dress, feed, and teach. I think at some point she did try enroll me in my part as the husband, but I didn't make the cut for it. At the time I guess it was like trying to teach a baby to walk before it learned to crawl.

Not surprisingly at some early point in our marriage she gave up, and I was stuck with the role of a child. Depressingly enough, it feels like she tolerates me at most at this point, I don't really remember the last time she said she loved me.

Damn. Well that was depressing.

…

I should probably head back now. Being away for too long won't help my case, I really will get what's coming to me if I get any later than this.

I use instant transmission. After the afterimage dissipates slowly I see that I arrived in front of the door outside. I gulp and take a deep breath, just as I pull the handle and open the door slightly so not to alarm anyone.

Everything appears to be quiet for now. So I push the door closed with my left hand and head over to the kitchen without thinking. The moment I arrive there I cursed my stomach as I shiver from the bottom of my heart at the terrifying sight in front of me. Chichi was sitting in a chair in front of the fridge, on her right hand she was firmly holding the frying pan, swinging it harshly until making contact with her left hand.

Before I could muster a word or thought she spoke. "So how was the training Goku, did you have fun?"

Oh great, her sarcastic tone has aggression written all over it. I shouldn't have run away when I did, and what's worse there is nowhere for me to run to this time. I guess I might as well get it over with. "Chichi, it's not like that. I just thought you needed some time to cool your head, that's al-"

"Cool my head from what Goku!" she screeches harshly, making me flinch as the piercing sound resonates through my sensitive hearing, she _knows_ how much that hurts! "You do realize that you wasted our income in some ridiculously expensive toy for your son, who isn't even doing that well in his classes to begin with! Maybe if we were rich like Bulma I would allow it, but I just don't see that happening with the miserable income you make as a farmer. Honestly, I care about my sons education unlike you Goku, I have always been there for the two of them, and what about you? Training in another planet and what not? Do you see why I'm so mad at you now, Goku?"

I couldn't muster a single retort to lash back at her, not even the fact that I have saved the world countless times felt like it could have any effect… It was all true, after all. I'm a terrible provider and father. That's why now more than ever, I have been trying to change myself by being there for them more often, even if it meant neglecting my training.

But I guess she hasn't noticed... She isn't used to such a change, my presence simply goes unregistered in her mind and she finds me as a nuisance when I roam the house… my _own_ house!

"Goku! I asked you if _you_ understand?"

"… Yes Chi…"

 **-o-**

"Hey, Earth to dad? Are you in there?"

"Huh, oh yeah, I'm here. What's up Goten?" I was spaced out sitting on the sofa, merely thinking about life.

"Hehe, it's here, it arrived this morning. Come on I want you to check it out with me, it's in my room," I get up from the sofa and follow my son as he leads me through the stairs, "I heard it all last night dad, you got your head bitten off by mom again didn't you?"

"…Yeah, pretty much."

"Hehe yeah, but don't worry about it too much, she just worries about me a lot, but she means well. And I know it's my fault for begging you to buy it for me, so I'm going to make it up to you dad."

"Geez, can you really do that? Because as far as I know not even the Eternal Dragon can grand me that," it's true, I would need a real miracle to make my wife love me for who I am, but I guess it's never too late, right? Maybe if I stop doing things that she finds annoying it could work. Step #1- Stop breathing.

"I'm serious dad, I'll go talk to her today when we go shopping. I'll convince her that I'm one hundred present responsible for it, saying it was all my idea. Not to mention I'll tell her all the good that will come out of it, now she can threaten to take it away if I don't get all A's."

We reach his room, and the first thing that grabs my attention is some sort of helmet, similar to the one Gohan wore placed on the bed along with a few papers. "Hm, it could work son, but only if you promise to get all A's."

He moves his right fist rapidly to where his heart is. "I promise dad!"

"Alright then I guess it's a deal then, make me prouder son," we reached a pretty good conclusion, if all goes well maybe Chi will apologize and thank me for it later. "Say is this what you wanted to show me?" I turn back to the helmet device. He grabs it and hands it over to me very gently, I inspect it from angle to angle.

"Pretty awesome right?"

To this I give him a genuine smile, "You do know I still don't know what this is, right?"

He blinks. "Oh, right. To put it simply, it can teleport your mind into a completely different world, connecting all your nerves into a single component in the Sword Art Online world, SAO for short. Actually what you are holding is called a NerveGear, which is the counsel for the game. But, wait for it. Here is the best part, you get to fight many monsters and other players and level up, the beta testers all said it was the most incredible experience ever!"

Man he is _really_ hyped about this, "I'm glad son," I then toss the NerveGear back at him, which he catches in a very comically fashion.

"Careful with this, it's delicate!"

Man, not like you bought it, "Sorry, sorry. Well, I guess I'll be going now, don't wanna keep you from your game."

As I'm about to head to the door he stops me, "Wait dad, didn't I say I wanted to make it up to you. The reason why I told you about this was so you'd be the first to play it, meanwhile I'm out talking to mom."

I turn around and look back between him and the helmet, "Hmm, I'm not sure Goten. I don't even know how this things works a-"

"Oh come on dad, don't be lame. I'll teach you really quick with the instruction manual, you will know how everything works when you get there," he looks at me pleadingly. "Besides, I hear there is beautiful landscapes that can't be compared, not even to the real thing, it's super realistic."

Yep, he knows me too well, besides if it does have that then I guess I could use a place to rest my mind away a little, "… _Fine_ , I get it. But only this once."

He smirks, "Said no one ever. Come here, let me teach you how it works old man."

After thirty minutes or so, it was finally time to get down to business, "Ok, so I make an account and log in right. After that I get to customize my character, but I guess I'll just ignore that," I put the NerveGear on my head, almost ready to depart.

My son holds out the door ready to take his leave, "That's right. When you get there you will be surrounded by many others. I would recommend you to go out and start fighting low level monsters to start leveling up. You may be the strongest man on the planet but in there, you are just like anyone else."

"Got it. Well son, take care of your mother and come back safely from your shopping trip, don't forget our deal."

"Of course and no problem. Have fun dad, see you soon," he closes the door and makes his exit. I decide to wait and listen until I hear them leave through the entrance door. "Alright, really hope he can convince her and help his old man out."

I settle on the bed and begin to get comfortable, it was going to be quite a trip if all my nerves were going to be connected at once. I take deep breaths and relax. Ready.

"Link Start."


	2. The Calm Before the Storm Part:1

**Chapter Two:**

 **The Calm Before the Storm**

 **Part: 1**

You know, having lived through and experienced many events in life, I was almost certain that I had seen and experienced it all. But God have I ever been so wrong.

I opened my eyes for the first time in this virtual world, and the first word that popped out of my mind was.

 _"_ _Holy shit…"_

I had to admit, the creators of the game certainly nailed it. It all seemed so _real,_ and even the ancient structures had a glamour of their own. Now, the sensation was totally a first for me, not only from my new found perspective, which certainly felt weirder the more I looked around. But it was mostly due to how my body was responding, it felt so _different_ … so _weak_.

Damn, now I know how it feels to be like everyone else.

And what's this? I can't feel an ounce of ki coming out from anyone, not even from me! Hmm, I guess that's because everything here is virtual after all, nothing is real. That's pretty inconvenient though, it means I'm going to have to rely mostly on my sig- "Ouch!"

I almost lost my balance there. Shit! When did this place get swarmed with so many people? They just keep pushing… Ok, less thinking more moving, I have to get out of this spot before I get stamped to death. Really now, flying or teleporting would come in really handy right about now.

Making my escape from the huge crowd was pretty difficult, especially considering that I wasn't exactly the only one trying to escape. I begin to stroll around the place unhurriedly, being careful not to corner myself like last time, and at the same time trying to get used to my virtual body.

I think I'm getting the hang of it, it's starting to feel more natural now. Though it's a shame, I can't quite see the whole town from just this altitude. Hmm… what can I do?

Ah, duh! Are there any tall buildings around here?

I commence turning to all corners, in a hasty attempt to find the longest edifice. "And… found it!"

The clock tower it is. It appears to be my best shot, not too far-off from my current position too. Though I can't see any entrances from here. So I guess I should try climbing it.

Yes, that sounds good, this should be a good enough starting point if I stand a chance of making it. Consequently, this should also help me get used to this body a lot faster, it's like hitting two birds with one stone.

I get in a starting position, which triggered a few curious stares and murmurs, but I pay no mind as soon as I concentrate on my goal ahead. Shortly after that, I notice a certain unique feeling pass through my limbs, a potent sensation to say the least.

I get the feeling I just found an important key, but leaving that aside for now.

"Ready. Set. GO!"

I take off in a swift but powerful sprint, leaving a wide gap between the starting point and my current position. I continue running with great speed as I focus my mind on my surroundings, dodging with ease the people in my way. My body may be very limited in the game, but my mind's power can still foresee the movement of things effortlessly.

With the clock tower now in front of me, I focus my legs ability for one powerful jump. For an instant, it was like I was flying upwards, though it merely lasted the moment my feet reached the tower without any lose of velocity, I was now currently running on a 90 degree angle.

Unexpectedly, I begin to feel very weary sooner than expected, but before letting all my attempts go to waste, I make one final leap upwards. Fortunately, I barely managed to grab on to the platform on the top of the clock, soon I proceeded to steadily pull myself up. "Huff-huff… Oh man, that was close. Not to mention what is up with this body? It's even weaker than I thought."

Oh well… what can I do about it?

I lift up my head to watch the view, while my hands remain glued to my knees in an effort to appease my exhaustion. At least the sight truly made it worth the effort. It was certainly a majestic view. So many building and so many people, it really makes this virtual game look like the real thing. I think I can even see what's on the very edge of this maze. It looks like-

"Huh, what's that sound?"

I glance down, and I can make out a couple of people applauding and cheering, while I also can't help but notice a few hundred little eyes staring at my soul.

I think, _maybe_ I drew too much attention to myself. Already!

"Wow! How did that guy do that? That was awesome!"

"Yeah man, I don't know about you, but I'm going to try that too before it gets too mainstream."

I then proceeded to watch in amusement a hoard of players trying to accomplish my feat, in a one hundred percent fail-ratio a minute.

Haha, kids…

Anyway, I should probably get down before they actually make it here and push me over the edge. _But_ … not before admiring the other boundary of- Huh, now what's that thing I see in the middle? A chest?

I make my way to it and begin to inspect it. This, could it be… a treasure chest? Already!? Whoa, I wonder what kind of treasure is hidden here! Ok, calm down Goku, I know this is your first treasure find during the whole game. Even though you barely just started.

But still, calm down and open it _very_ _slowly_ …

I proceed to open it in one rapid motion. So much for doing it slowly, but the excitement was killing me.

Really now, I just can't believe my eyes, that from my salivating expectations I find… Absolutely nothing but air, _there-is-nothing_. What the fuck?

Wait hold on, congratulations? Oh, never mind. I think it goes directly into the menu. Let's read what the screen says. Hmm… Shit. I just realized I'm not very good at reading.

But… might as well give it a go. "Congratulations. You a-acquired one of the twelve holy pieces, which can only be found in the Town of- Baggins? Beginnings! May it assist you on your journey young adventur-er."

Well, not exactly _young_ but okay, it's cool. Let's see what I got then.

Okay, let's see how this thing works again… I open the menu with my finger in front of me. There we go. Wow, pretty neat. Alright then, find equipment, equipment, _and_ found it, click. It appears I only have one object, which does remind me I need to go buy a weapon.

Anyways, this thing reads… "The Shield of Achilles." Hmph, sounds familiar, maybe Gohan talked about that at some point in life. Nonetheless, time to try it on. Select.

A bright light soon began to grow around my arm region, and in a burst of light particles, a circular shield strapped to my left arm materialized. I twist my left arm awkwardly, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable in the process, but for the means of inspecting the front of the shield.

"Wow, those are some beautiful patterns there, certainly a master piece. And the designs overall. It depicts both the beauty of life, and the dreadfulness of war."

Very interesting message. I suppose it means to appreciate life, peace, and hard work. Even if it sometimes treats you like a damn bitch…!

Why am I thinking of her? That was definitely not a good thought.

"Hey, Goku! Look over here! Gooookuuuu!"

Great! A distraction, just what I needed to ignore the scrutiny. Wait a second, I've never heard that voice before. Who is calling me exactly? I make my way to the edge and glance down, only to see a random dude falling in front of me. He got pretty close at least.

My vision then grasps a repetitive movement slightly to right. The individual who called me out happens to be a not very discreet girl, who's waving her arms around nonchalantly while looking straight at me. The moment our eyes meet, she got even wilder, "Hey Goku! Come over here!"

Very interesting, someone I have never met is actually acting like a good friend of mine. Or maybe, she _is_ a long lost friend of mine, I just don't remember. She then blows a kiss at me while winking cutely.

…You know, at this point I am too afraid to ask.

I take a few measured steps back as I calculate the distance. I then progress to launch myself from the building to where I believe will be my landing point, which should be a few steps away from the girl.

After falling with style for a few seconds, I fortunately managed to crash my feet flat on the ground, considering inertia is a bitch and I didn't end up rolling over and over. Then again, many years of experience might have helped. "Not a very soft landing, but that did the trick. Anyhow, do I know you? Cause you managed to startle me a minute ago."

I don't think I was mentally prepared for what happened next, as it plays out 'this girl' has no manners, since she just grabs me by the collar and starts forcing me to follow her. I don't protest at all, considering my mind is still processing what's happening.

In the mean time I was being abducted in broad daylight, I notice a few people prying about and chatting about something, _"What is she doing? - Why is she taking him? - I wanted to ask -"_

"Just follow me. I'll tell you somewhere where it is not too crowded," she suddenly announces, snapping me out of my confused state.

Okay, it was clear to me now, this _girl,_ who just went from being too bubbly to an introvert, is simply just weird, "Why? Did you suddenly develop a I-can't-be-around-crowds' disease all of a sudden?" I jest at her statement.

She turns her head and glares at me while pulling on me harder, apparently not very amused. Nevertheless, unlike me, taking into account her pissed of reaction caused me to laugh slightly, triggering an annoyed retort at me.

"Oh ha-ha! No. But it's something I can't discuss here for both our sake."

She managed to bring me to an empty alleyway, where light is a bit scarce. The setting of her choosing does give off a bit of a weird vibe, to say the least. When she finally let's go of me, I back off slowly and start acting nervously on purpose, "So… what do you think will happen if I yell rape?" I tease. For some reason, I'm finding it very entertaining to poke fun at kids. Maybe it's the effects of playing the online game.

"What!? Why would I even…?" she then glimpses at our surroundings and promptly after that, begins to blush in embarrassment. Yeah, she knows what she did, "Oh wow! Sly move you creep, but just because you are older than me by like five years or something, doesn't mean you get to make fun of me like that!"

Geez, why so serious?

As far as I learned from Goten, this is the norm between, well, everyone! Heck, now that I recall, it must have been thanks to my rebellious son that I managed to grow up a bit faster. I think it started ever since my oldest son left the house, that's about the time Goten started showing me things on the internet, like 9gag and stuff, I can't help it now that I can even understand all the puns Krillin and Master Roshi make.

But coming back from cloud nine, did she just assume I'm older than her by five years? I'm astonished, thanks for the compliment! "You know, I was joking, geez. Kids these days are so delicate."

She proceeds to " humph" at my response while crossing her arms, "Well… in reality if the situation was reversed, I would have been the one teasing you like that."

Oh, so you aren't so serious after all, "Well, maybe you'll get your chance later on. But leaving that aside for now, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She leisurely proceeds to walk up to me while gazing at my left arm, a few seconds later she points at it with her finger, "Is that shield what you found on top of the tower?"

I see, so that's what the fuss was all about, "Yep."

Hearing my response, she smiles and steps back amusingly, "Wow, I guess you beat me to it. You see, I also happen to find one of the Twelve Holy Pieces, such as the one you are carrying. Here, I'll show you," she then proceeds to open her menu, making a few clicks here and there until something that looks like a crystal eye emerged, "It's this. This is called The Eye of Wisdom, I found it in a bunch of ruins somewhere in this town. I used this Piece to see your name outside my field of vision, not to mention it also has the ability to lock on to chests from afar. It probably has other uses too, but I haven't experimented on it outside of town yet," she then placed it on her left eye, and soon enough, the crystal eye began to merge with her own, giving her eye a diamond like glamour.

Interesting, maybe my shield also has more capabilities than I give it credit, "You certainly got something pretty convenient there. But before this very interesting conversation goes any further, shouldn't I have learned your name by this point?"

"Oh gosh you're right, I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself due to all the excitement. My name is Lisbeth, it's very nice to meet you Goku."

Well, there goes my introduction, "So you know my name because of that eye thing right?" I assume.

Lisbeth starts waving her hands in disagreement, "Well, yes and no, you see. All players can still see the name as long as the person is on the field of vision, just try looking at my top left, you'll see the hit point bar along with my name, gauge and level," I do what she says and without any doubts I can see it as clear as day, "Neat, isn't it?"

"It sure is, I'm even starting to get excited. But going back to our last conversation, what is it that you wanted to tell me? Also, why is it that you had to haul me all the way out here to tell me what you are about to tell me?" Haha, long words.

"Ah that's right! I'm sorry I towed you all the way out here without saying much. But I had a very good reason for doing that."

I raise an eyebrow at her statement, "Well, if you had a very good reason to choke me all the way out here, please, do proceed."

"Geez, let it go already. Look, here is the scenario. You and I found one of the Twelve Holy Pieces, which means there are probably ten more somewhere in the skirts of town. Now, one of the reasons why I choked you all the way out here was so you wouldn't leak this valuable information to anyone else."

I see, so she was just playing it smart, "You know, you're quite ambitious for your age, you know that right?"

"Well… maybe? But that's what people do in games! To gain the advantage. Anyway, the second reason being, how do I put it…- Because you were simply awesome back there!"

"Awesome?" I repeat while speculating at her response.

"Of course, I mean, you did climb a tower around a hundred feet tall without any difficulty. And, just going to throw this out there in the open, but if I hadn't started acting so familiar with you, someone else may have gotten a hold of you, and by that, I mean probably all the hundreds of people who saw you climb the tower."

Wow, that was actually a very good reason. It definitely exceeded my expectations, "I see. That's actually a pretty scary thought, I guess you really did save me back there, thanks."

"No problem Goku. But you know, there is a way you can make it up to me."

God damn it, it's a trap, "What do you _want_ …?"

The moment I ask, Lisbeth proceeds to make contact with her index fingers in a very cutely manner, "Will you please teach me a trick or two? I'm still a complete noob at the game, and considering what you accomplished I figured you can help me out here."

"Hmm… I don't know. It's certainly something that I managed to grasp, but only at the spur of the moment. I still need to go buy a weapon though," probably not a very good idea to get too friendly with her, I don't think I'll have much time to log in once Goten arrives.

"Buy a weapon you say? Well in that case I'm your man! Figuratively speaking."

"Oh thank God."

This instigated a cute chuckle from her, "Geez, stop acting goofy. But yeah, since I'm a blacksmith in training, I think I'll be able to help you find a decent weapon for a good price. And maybe, the extra favor will help persuade you even, right?" she then proceeds to lean over, making a cute face in the process.

"You know, that's not going to work very well on me. Although I do accept, only as a thanks for saving me. But just know, that I'm not exactly an expert in the game. And also, I don't think I will be logging in very often." It's for the best she knows this, that way she doesn't start getting too familiar with someone she's never going to meet again.

"Uwaahhh… why? Are you busy with college?" she asks while displaying a sadden look, "I thought we could hang out and do stuff as friends more often, cause you're my first one here. Can't you log in more often…?" she inquires while making those _damn_ puppy eyes.

Damn it, my only weakness, that's how everyone convinces me to do whatever they want, "Well, I'll try at least…"

"Well, pinky promise with me! So I make sure you are not lying," she raises her pinky for me to grasp on, I suppose some kids still do this these days. But I guess I don't mind keeping this promise, Lisbeth is a pretty nice person after all.

I lift up my hand and give her my pinky swear, her friendly smile prompting me to grin at her proposal, "I accept."

After holding on to it for about three more seconds, she lets go of my pinky and heads swiftly to an exit, "Heh, well then, let's get going then. I don't have all day you know."

Yep, things are going to get much more interesting with her around, "I'm going _mom_ …"

 **-o-**

 **A/N:** Thanks for the positive reviews on the first chapter, I appreciate them, and they really influence me on the continuation of this story. In my profile you will find an updated A/N concerning this chapter, also you will find the answers to the questions you left on your previous review. Peace.


End file.
